Italy veteran Andrea Pirlo has played down talk of Juventus winning the Champions League this season.
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The cultured midfielder has enjoyed great success with last season's Scudetto champions since moving to Turin in June 2011, having gone the entire Serie A season unbeaten with the Bianconeri.
But the 33-year-old has played down talk suggesting his side are considered favourites for this season's UEFA Champions League title, despite being poised to reach the quarter-finals after leading their last-16 tie against Celtic 3-0 after the first leg.
When asked of Juve's chances in Europe's elite club competition this term, Pirlo responded:
"The Champions League? I don't think that we are ready to win it yet. Even though we're there now and will do our utmost. There are stronger teams than Juventus still in the competition," Pirlo told La Repubblica.
Pirlo was, however, full of praise when talking about current boss and manager Antonio Conte, who masterminded the successful 'Invincibles' campaign last season, and feels the Italian could manage anywhere in the world.
"Conte is a great coach, but he will have to learn the language first if he moves abroad because communication is very important for him," he continued. "I believe that Juventus is the best place for him, but he could work anywhere."
Looking ahead to Friday's crunch Serie A fixture against Scudetto rivals Napoli, the former AC Milan playmaker also cooled talk of the potential consequences the result may have on the title race.
"It will definitely be a very important match, but it will not be decisive. We are all calm and relaxed ahead of the match," he added.
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